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Friday, August 27, 2010

Summer Garden Tomato Compote & Char Crust Chicken

Well, hello again! I've been missing in action since last weekend. Sorry! At last, it's Friday and can try to post some recipes for you. The weather across the United States has been all over the place. While my girlfriend, in Rhode Island has been telling tales of miserable heat and humidity, and extreme weather changes to rain-- well, we folks on the Central Coast of California hadn't seen sun in weeks. Suddenly, we had a heat weave that hit triple digits for two days. My tomatoes were happy little campers!

Just the week before, I had all kinds of little green tomatoes...

...and the next time I looked, they were bursting with summer sunshine ripeness. I had to start using these fast!
Roasted tomatoes, are one of my favorite ways to enjoy tomatoes. I turned the oven on to 375F and sliced a Vidalia onion-- my last one, in fact. I sliced 2 cloves of fresh garlic and heated some olive oil in my beloved cast iron skillet...

Next, I decided to cut some thyme, from our garden. Dry would work fine, too. I cooked the onion until tender, added the garlic and cooked that for a minute. Next, I added the thyme, kosher salt & black pepper (to taste). I turned off the heat and added these beautiful yellow pear tomatoes. Then I paused, and went back into the garden...

...and I grabbed some cherry tomatoes that were so ripe, some of the skins were already splitting. These were added to the mix.

I had some leftover white wine (sauvignon blanc), so I added that (about 1/4 cup). I popped the skillet into the oven, next to some chicken breasts that I was roasting. (You could certainly cook these on the stove top if you choose to.)

About 15 minutes later, the tomatoes looked roasted to perfection. I set the skillet on very low heat, to let the wine finish reducing. These were so fragrant, I wish I had cooked some Angel Hair Pasta!

VERDICT: Amazing! My taste buds said "sweet", "savory", "mildly garlicky" and "dee-licious! I so will make this again, as a pasta.

About that chicken that I mentioned was roasting in the oven-- I was contacted by Susan Eriksen, "AKA Mrs. Char Crust". Susan offered to send a few of her special rub blends for me to try. As promised, I received an three different Char Crust blends to try.

I had just purchased two beautiful air-chilled, free-range chicken breasts (bone-in) at Whole Foods (which is where I can also buy this product. I decided to try the Roasted Garlic Peppercorn flavor. This rubbed is described as:

Savory roasted garlic and fresh cracked peppercorns make music in your mouth. With added lilt of worcestershire and lavender, this symphonic sensation creates a crescendo of flavor with steak, lamb, fish (especially salmon), and roasted potatoes.

Sold! Of course, I had to let me nose explore the different ingredients in this rub. Wow! After patting the chicken dry, I did just what I was supposed to do-- I rubbed it generously all over. Using my second cast iron skillet, I decided to sear the chicken, starting skin side down.

About 4 minutes later, I flipped each breast over. Very nice, I thought! The skin is not burned at all. It's the rub, which was very fragrant. I roasted the breast for about 18 minutes, checking that the temperature reached about 170F.

Then I let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes. Now, for the moment of truth...

I was losing natural light, so these photos aren't as detailed as I'd like. I can tell you that the chicken was very juicy. I give credit to a few things. Using chicken that is bone-in, I am convinced,decreases the chances of ending up with dried out chicken breast meat. It was cooked just the right amount of time, too, by watching the temperature and then letting it rest. The trademark claim on Char Crust products is "Seals in the Juices", and I have to agree!

VERDICT: There are a lot of flavors working in harmony with this delicious rub seasoning. At first, I thought I tasted sage. I read the ingredient label, and I was wrong. Maybe it's the combo of Worcestershire and soy, herbs, garlic and other spices-- who knows? We both liked the chicken very much. Thank you, Char Crust for letting me try this product. I have made a few other recipes, which I will try to share throughout the coming week. This product is a great way to make plain chicken come to life with flavor and lots of juiciness! Oh, I will also be announcing a giveaway where you can receive Char Crust samples to try for yourself. Soon... very soon!

Oh that chicken looks amazing. We eat lots and lots of chicken, I could handle something new like this. Thank you so much for sharing. The tomatoes look awesome too. Our cherry tomato plants are done but the big tomatoes are doing great so think I'll slice them into quarters and give your recipe a try too.Thank you for sharing. Stopping by from Fresh, Clear and Pure. Take care and God Bless!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

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